Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has approved N15 million for the mass burial of 43 indigenes of Ogwuaniocha who lost their lives during the crisis that rocked the community in November 2021.
Presenting the cheque on behalf of the governor to the President General of Ogwuaniocha Progressive Association, Vitalis Ekweanua, in company of other stakeholders from the community, the Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Barr Anthony Ifeanya, applauded the community for doing the needful and paving the way for peace to thrive.
Ifeanya, who announced Soludo’s willingness to visit the community with developmental projects, vowed that the Ogwuaniocha must get everything that is due to them as host community under his watch.
Receiving the cheque, the President General, Ekweanua, disclosed that in their quest to achieve all the activities mapped out to restore lasting peace, they sourced funds and held a mass burial for the 43 deceased’s members of the community on 20th April 2025.
Ekweanua, however, lamented that despite the state government’s effort, the community still remains deserted.
According him, the N15 million support is a welcome development, but the community is asking for more government presence in infrastructural development.
“Ogwuaniocha community is completely deserted. Nothing good is happening here. “Our children don’t longer go to school because the entire schools in the community (primary and secondary schools) were all destroyed due to the communal crisis.
“As I speak to you, about 90 percent of the houses, including my house as the President General of the town, were destroyed beyond repair.
“Our healthcare facilities are also affected. Nothing good is happening here. We are currently helpless. We seriously need our solution governor to urgently intervene.
“The company drilling oil in our community is also our major challenge, ever since they commenced operation in the area, we stopped farming and fishing due to the oil spilling and no compensation has been given to us.
“For the past three years, we have been living in fears, pain and hunger as a result of the crisis. Our kidnapped traditional ruler has remained missing since the crisis broke out in November 2021 under the immediate past administration of Governor Willie Obiano.
“We are appealing to governor Soludo to extend more of his kind-hearted agenda for Ndi-Anambra to our community by reconstructing the affected facilities and also build us a bridge at Ulasi River that would link Umunankwo to Ihiala Local Government Area of the state. And with this I believe the community would regain back her lost glory.”